Ottawa police are searching for a suspect after a late-night shooting on a quiet Lowertown street left a 36-year-old man dead.
Emergency crews responded to a shooting in the 200 block of Clarence Street, between King Edward Avenue and Nelson Street, around 11:40 p.m. Friday.
When the police arrived at the scene, they found the victim lying on the street.
“I was just drifting off to sleep around 11:30 last night and I just jumped. I heard a pow-pow, a pow-pow, and I immediately knew it was gunshots,” said Christine Vincent, who lives across the street from the shooting scene.
“The next thing I know, there are police cars running around to the back street where I am and they pull up. They were coming in, I guess there were about six cars that suddenly came in, they blocked this side of the street and the other.
The victim, Vuyo Kushe, died on the spot.
Witnesses told CTV News Ottawa they heard a handful of gunshots around 11:40 p.m.
“We were just sitting around playing Mario Kart, friends and I, it was a quiet night and all of a sudden it wasn’t so quiet,” said local resident James Fleming.
“It was pretty loud, I actually pulled away from the couch and thought something was wrong,” Adam White said.
“A man laying on the ground apparently shot, a whole bunch of police, very concerned neighbors.”
The Ottawa police homicide unit is leading the investigation. Police told CTV News Ottawa Saturday afternoon that there are no suspects in the murder.
Neighbors, who asked not to appear on camera, said they saw a man flee the scene on foot shortly after the shots were fired.
“We’ve had so many problems in the market area that it’s really getting worse,” Vincent said. “I mean, I’ve been here since 2010 and it just keeps getting worse and worse.”
Residents living in Clarence Street said the killing was “very scary”.
“It’s not really, really safe,” Hares Sebumtimbiri said.
“Kill someone, near your door, it’s very scary.
Vincent says he plans to be home at 10pm from now on.
“Now I don’t want to be out on the street at night,” Vincent said Saturday morning. “I understand the police can’t be everywhere at the same time, but something has to be done.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Ottawa Police Homicide Unit at 613-236-1222 ext. 5493.
This is the second fatal shooting in Ottawa this month.
Abdulhamid Haji Raghab, 24, died in a shooting on Banff Avenue on July 5.
Ottawa police say there have been nine homicides in Ottawa so far in 2022.
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